As a learning and development specialist do you know what your pedagogy is?

Pedagogy technically means the teaching of children but it’s a popular term so we’ll stick with it. The so-called correct term is andragogy but that technically means the teaching of men so it’s not all that inclusive either.

Pedagogy has to do with which particular methods and practices you use as a trainer. There are many different pedagogies.

One kind of pedagogy is popular education, which lays out that education should:

– lead to social change

– be cooperative

– recognize everyone is a teacher and everyone is a learner

– incorporate praxis (a constant cycling back and forth between theory and action)

– be respectful

It’s hard to argue with any of the above but I’m sure you can easily think of times when you’ve been in a workshop where one or more haven’t been followed. My 8:30 am university class with a prof who lectured from notes so old they were yellowed comes to mind.

Once you know your pedagogy / pedagogies it’s easier to design meaningful learning opportunities. I use a blend of:

– popular education

– brain based learning

– experiential learning

– adult education

As learning and development specialists we’re in the business of change. By laying out interesting, intriguing learning opportunities we are inviting our participants to change in some way.

Like what you’ve read? Check out the book, a Canadian bestseller, now out of print, Educating for a Change, which you can download for free by clicking on the link. Happy holidays!

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